How to cut out small details in Photoshop. How to cut out a complex object in Photoshop (2 ways). Cutting using color channels

27.11.2016 27.01.2018

Today I will tell you how to quickly and conveniently cut out an object along its contour in Photoshop. There are many tools and methods for this. We will look at one of the simplest and most convenient.

If you are faced with the task of cutting out an object from an image and separating it from the background, then Photoshop and its tools Magnetic lasso will help with this.

In this tutorial, as an example, we will cut out a cat from an image and paste it into another.

You can download the images used in the lesson:

Step 1

Open an image of a cat or any other image in Photoshop from which you need to cut out an object.

Step 2

Now we will cut out the cat along the contour. To do this, find a tool Magnetic lasso.

The principle of operation of the tool is simple - it helps cut an object in photoshop along its contour. Click on the outline of the cat to show where the tool should start working and simply move the mouse along the outline, the tool will create a selection by placing dots along the outline.

Advice: If the outline of the object is complex and merges with the background, then place the dots more closely and more often. This will help make the selection clearer.

Eventually you will need to close the selection path and thereby completely select the object.

Note: If you feel that the resulting selection was not of good quality, use the function.

Step 3

Now that the selection is ready, we can cut out the object. To cut, you can click CTRL+X, and then press CTRL+V to paste the object onto a separate layer.

I did so, then hidden the layer on which the background remained. I got the cat on a separate layer.

An object on a separate layer is completely under your control; you can paste it and move it anywhere. For example, an image with a tree.

Cutting, separating or extracting something in any graphic editor - all these are, in fact, synonyms for one procedure, which ends with isolating the selected object. Therefore, tasks such as cutting out an object in Photoshop or separating an object from the background practically come down to selection. Isolating a selected area will not be difficult, except for copying the selection to a new layer (Ctrl+J) or dragging the cut fragment onto another document. In the latter case, it is important not to forget to click on the “Move” tool button at the very top of the toolbar.

Selection is performed either manually, when the outline is traced with a pen, brush, or lasso, or automatically, using the “Magic Wand” or “Magic Eraser.” In addition, color channels, masks, some filters and even special plugins are used for selection.

Selecting simple objects

The choice of tool depends on the complexity of the contour of the selected object. For example, the problem of how to cut out a face in Photoshop (if it is not very “crumpled”) can be solved by using a regular or polygonal “Lasso”, or “Quick Mask”, or “Feather” for selection ( very labor intensive).

If everything is clear with the lasso, then when using the Quick selection tool, the call button for which is located at the very bottom of the toolbar, there are some nuances.

Quick mask

Firstly, you can completely paint over the face with a black brush, or, having selected the size, carefully outline the outline, then fill it with black from a bucket (the "Fill" tool). Errors are corrected with a white brush.

Having applied the mask, click on the quick mask button again - and the selection is ready. But it’s not the face that is marked, but everything outside the mask, so the selection needs to be inverted (Select > Invert) and transferred to a new layer (Ctrl+J) or dragged to another document. You can do without inversion by simply deleting the selected background, and then using the Crop Tool to crop the image to the desired size.

Quick selection

We cut out the face, but if anyone is interested in how to cut out an entire person in Photoshop (and this is also a simple task), you should know that in this case, the best option for selection seems to be a partner " Magic wand" - Quick Selection tool.

This tool has its own brush with customizable parameters, which, analyzing the color specified when you click the mouse, automatically selects adjacent colors as you move along the path. The more contrast the border between the human figure and the background, the better the result.

Lasso with magnet

The “Magnetic Lasso” also works well with the human figure, which recognizes the line of maximum difference in contrast, brightness or color, and literally sticks to it, so that you can cope with such a simple task as cutting out an object in Photoshop, like The lasso is easy, especially if the border between the subject and the background is quite contrasting.

Selecting complex objects

The tools discussed above can also be used for objects with complex outlines, but for such cases it is more common to use the Pen tool, color channels, or, even better, the Extract command in the Filter menu. If someone does not have such a filter, you can easily download it from the Internet and then place the file in the Plugins folder of the program installation package.

How to cut out an image in Photoshop? To do this, they often use the Freeform Pen tool, which is used to outline an outline, like a pencil, but for complex objects It's better to use simple.

Having created (and necessarily closed) the outline of the object, right-click on it and select the “Create Selection” command, after which you will be asked to specify the feather radius and the smoothing function, and if you open the Paths panel (Window > Paths), you can select “Load outline as a selected area" without any conditions by clicking on the icon with a dotted circle.

Special highlight

Some users, including high-flying professionals, when resolving issues of how to cut something out in Photoshop, regardless of the complexity of the object being extracted, remain faithful to the Pen Tool.

Having created a closed contour of an object from sequentially placed anchor points, right-click on it and select the “Create selected area” command, then, setting the shading radius (if necessary), press OK.

The most important advantage of the Pen is its high precision, since this tool manages to select part of a pixel, eliminating the jagged edges of the subsequent selection. The "pen" simply makes the part of the pixel outside the selection transparent.

With this tool, of course, you can highlight everything, if only you have enough patience and skill, especially since for precise contouring you can enlarge the image to the maximum. But if you are concerned about how to cut hair in Photoshop, better tool, than the Extract filter, cannot be found, although many may argue with this statement.

Extraction of secretions

Go to the "Filter" menu and click on the Extract line. In the luxurious filter dialog box, select from the top left main tool Edge Highlighter (like a felt-tip pen) and outline the object so that the border we are interested in is inside the “felt-tip pen” line, the thickness of which (Brush Size) and color (Highlight) are set in the toolbar on the right. If you make a mistake, the Eraser Tool will help, as well as the undo command (Ctrl+Z). If you check the Smart Highlighting checkbox, the program will more accurately determine the border, and the line will be thinner. But if you are wondering how to cut out a person in Photoshop, you don’t have to do this.

After completing the stroke, select the “Bucket” (Fill Tool) at the top left. By clicking inside the outline, we fill it with paint, thereby indicating to the program what exactly needs to be left, deleting the rest. Only after this the OK button will come to life, and you can confirm the completion of the procedure, and then make sure that the result is perfect.

Surely there will be particularly inquisitive users who may think about how to cut in Photoshop. complex object, without resorting to standard tools, and one of these extraordinary ways is associated with color channels.

Cutting using color channels

The essence of the method is to determine the most contrasting channel for the selected object (the “Channels” tab on the layers panel) and subsequent image processing in order to reveal the smallest details of the contour.

Having determined the appropriate channel (often blue), the desired layer is duplicated, and then on the copy (depending on the characteristics of a particular image) one of the brightness-correcting functions ("Curves", "Levels", "Brightness/Contrast") is used to obtain the maximum contrast border of the selected object, extremely darkening it (even to black) against an intensely lightened background. You can use the burn/dodge tools, as well as black and white detail brushes.

Having achieved the desired result, click on the channel duplicate layer on the image thumbnail with Ctrl key, switch to RGB mode, return to the “Layers” tab to the finished selection and delete the background (Delete). Can be placed under the cut out object dark background and work on the outline by going to “Layers” and selecting the “Layer Processing” command, where to remove the border and remove the halos (black or white).

Cut out, specifying the edge

It’s no wonder that many users are interested in how to cut in Photoshop CS6, because starting from version CS5, the editor has acquired the amazing “Refine Edge” function, which is available in the “Selection” menu when an object is actively selected. In addition, you will see such a button on the far right in the settings panel if you enable any of the selection tools.

This feature can bring any highlight to life. The “clarifier” settings are simple and straightforward.

Having chosen the View of the border between the background and the object to your taste, we move on to the settings for its detection. If you select “Smart Radius”, the program itself will understand the nature of the selection and adjust it according to its own considerations. In difficult cases, it is better to rely on the intelligence of Smart Radius, which is quite enough to easily solve the question of how to cut out an image in Photoshop.

The “Radius” adjustment slider determines the size of the width of the refinement zone (in pixels), which depends on the image resolution and the detail of the contour.

In the group of edge settings (Adjust Edge), the names of the functions (Smooth, Feather, Contrast and Shift Edge) speak for themselves.

Tools that refine the edge (“Refine radius tool” and “Erase Refinements Tool”) are opened with a button with a brush icon.

We move a brush, pointed in the right way, over the problem area (not detailed enough), and the program will obediently deal with it, and if it overdoes it, the eraser will intervene.

In the “Output To” drop-down list, we are offered to select a convenient type of presentation of the result, but we are interested in the “Selection” option, because you can cut out an object in Photoshop only by first selecting it.

Clicked OK, removed the background (cut out the object), placed it on a new base, and the object was “decorated” with unsightly fringe of an incomprehensible color? Select it again (Ctrl+click on the image thumbnail), call up the Refine Edge window and select “Decontaminate Color”. In response, Photoshop will remove (or at least try to) remove the colored fringe, recoloring as many pixels as you specify with the Amount slider.

Many users who just need to crop an image use a rectangular selection or a clipping mask, but this is not the most rational solution, since you can cut a photo in Photoshop using the Crop Tool, for which it is, in fact, and invented.

Cut to fit the frame

Having turned on the crop tool "Frame" (Crop tool), stretch the frame on the image with the mouse the right size and click on the checkbox in the settings panel at the top right (with the prompt “Crop”) or press Enter. The frame will expand from the point at which you click the cursor cross. Then you can stretch/compress it by holding the corners or sides with the mouse, but you won’t be able to move or tilt it, but you can move and rotate the image itself.

Pictures for the site

Obsessed with the desire to quickly create his own website, sometimes a user cannot resist the stunning PSD layout he comes across, downloads it, eagerly opens it, and suddenly freezes in bewilderment, discovering that he does not know how to cut out design elements in Photoshop.

Let's say we need to cut out a rectangular object (logo, header, drawing, etc.). If the element consists of two or more layers, select them simultaneously in the palette (with the Ctrl key pressed), merge them (Ctrl+E), and then, turning on the Rectangular Marquee tool, carefully create a precise selection around the object.

Now go to the "Edit" menu and select either "Copy" (if there is one layer) or "Copy combined data" (if there are several layers). Next we create new document(File > New), go to "Editing" and click on the "Insert" line. All that remains is to select “Save for Web” and continue in the same spirit.

1 vote

Hello, dear friends! We all know that any information becomes more interesting and memorable if it is provided with pictures. Think for a moment what you remember better - bright pictures or monotonous text? Hence the conclusion that you can’t go anywhere without a photo.

But now technology has come a long way. Everyone will be able to correct the photo, change the background, remove something, and add something. I will tell you how to cut out a complex object in Photoshop and carry out further manipulations with it. For all these operations you will need Photoshop, I work in Photoshop versions CC, you can repeat after me in any version of the graphics editor.

The most important thing is to carefully and methodically do what I will describe below. And don’t let the complexity of the problem scare you – it can be solved. And with some skill, you can do all this with eyes closed in a couple of minutes.

I will introduce you only to some of the program's capabilities, and this is a small part of what can be done using it. Photoshop has a lot of tools for professional processing images, if you are interested in studying it more deeply, I recommend paying attention to the course by Zinaida Lukyanova “ Photoshop from scratch in video format ».

You will learn how to create collages and presentations; the courses are suitable for both beginners and more confident users. In addition, you can work with a specialist online.

From words to deeds

So let's get started. You need a photo of a person, you can take your own photo, or you can find any other one on the Internet for practice, the main thing is that a person is present in it. It's better to use an image for work good quality. It will be more pleasant and convenient for you to perceive high-quality picture, and the work process will be a pleasure.

First, open a photo that we like. Go to Photoshop, click on top menu“file – open”. Select an image. I have such a bright and positive girl on a blue background.

To get started, you need to activate the background layer. Right-click on it, then click on “Layer from Background”.

In this window, click “ok” and move on.

Sometimes, instead of these operations, the magnetic lasso, which is located on the toolbar, is used. Click on it, zoom in on the image, and draw the outline manually. This process is more labor intensive and is best used when the background consists of complex details. In our case, we can get by with the tool that I described above.

After we have selected the background, right key Click on the image and select “Invert selected area”.

Now we need to work out the small details. This is especially true for hair. Sometimes beginners forget about these little things, and the end result looks unnatural. To prevent this from happening, select the “Refine Edge” command on the top panel.

A window will appear, viewing mode, select “On Black”, don’t be alarmed! Just like that, all the minor flaws will be visible, which we will get rid of. Select the “Refine Radius” tool (brush icon). We change its size, it’s more convenient for me to work at 3, we trace the outline of the model.

We outline the entire outline and move on to the edge settings. We have 4 options, you can try each of them, but I only select “smooth” to soften the edge joints, and “contrast” to adjust the clarity. The most important thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise we will return to the source.

In the pop-up menu for outputting the image, select “Output to new”. Of course, you can output it directly to a new layer, but I have some details, I want to work them out, select the layer with the mask, click “OK”.

There is very little left until the desired result. Activate the layer mask, just click on it. Take a hard brush and change the color to black. We enlarge the image and draw it. I have small blue artifacts, and I will remove them.

This is what we got. Now you can save the image without a background. More precisely, our model will be . Just go to the “file” menu, save as, select PNG format, and don’t forget the “transparency” checkbox. I won’t do all this, I need to place the girl on a new background.

I wanted to put this young lady on the cover of a fashion magazine, you can choose any photo you want. Open the picture as we did in the first stage, drag the girl onto the image. It’s better, of course, to copy the layer with the model using the Ctrl+C keys and overlay (paste) it on our background with CTRL+V. Here is the result.

There is no need to be afraid

We are all human, we all have arms, legs and a head. And if I can do all these manipulations with a photograph, then you can definitely do it too! I know what it’s like when you look at a program’s interface and just don’t understand what it’s all for. The first impression is always scary, but you shouldn’t be led by it.

Study the program, it will give you a lot of opportunities that you don’t even know about. Photoshop is convenient for designers and illustrators, anyone who has any experience with visual art. I hope that my article will encourage you to develop further in this direction, especially since the program interface is designed for a simple user, a couple of lessons, and you will fall in love with this graphic editor.

This is where I end, see you next time! Subscribe to my blog, tell your friends about it.

Photomontage arose almost simultaneously with the appearance of the first photographs. To create such works, one had to resort to various tricks. For example, cut out the desired fragment with scissors, paste it onto a photo, retouch it and retake it. Today, all these actions can be done in Photoshop in just a few clicks. In this article we will tell you how to cut and paste an object in Photoshop.

How does this operation differ in different versions of Adobe Photoshop?

All examples below will be executed in latest versions"Photoshop CC". However, they are also suitable for earlier versions Adobe Photoshop.

In order to learn how to cut and move an object in Photoshop, it is better to choose an image on a black background for experiments.

Selecting a background

When you cut out an object in Adobe Photoshop, you get a “hole.” It fills in automatically background color. Obviously, such a result cannot be considered satisfactory if we are talking about removing from the photograph the figure of a horse captured against the background of a field and sky. In our case, it is enough to choose black color - and the result will be perfect. To set it as a background, you need to click on the lower colored square located below the tool icons to the left of the working window. A window with a palette will open. In it you need to select the black square and click “OK”.

Selection: option one

Before cutting out an object in Photoshop, you need to tell the program which part of the original image we are talking about. To do this, Photoshop uses different tools. Since we are currently considering the simplest case, we will select “Quick selection”. This tool is suitable in cases where the color of the cut out object differs significantly from the color of the background, since the program can automatically recognize and separate their pixels.

After you click on “Quick Select”, the cursor will change into a circle with a cross in the center. You can now click on an object until it is completely selected. If you accidentally “capture” the background, then you need to left-click on it computer mouse while holding down the Alt key. To make the selection more precise, you can use the button to reduce the brush size located at the top. It is hidden behind an icon in the form of a dark dot with numbers. You can also use the Refine Edge button. By clicking on it, you need to check the “Smart Radius” box in the window that appears, and move the “Radius” slider to the right up to a value of 10 pixels. Once the result is satisfactory, you must click the “OK” button.

Moving

If you need to cut out an object in Photoshop in order to then paste it onto another fragment of the same image, then this is quite simple to do. You need to select the “Move” tool, the icon of which is located at the top, on the left side of the working window. Then move the cursor over the selected object. Hold down the left mouse button and drag it to the desired location.

Correction

No matter how carefully you cut out an object in Photoshop, traces of its outline may remain on the image.

To prevent this from happening, you must do the following:

• after the object is selected, you need to right-click on it with the computer mouse;
• in the context menu that appears, select “Cut to new layer”;
• go to the “Layers” panel;
• Click on the eye icon located next to the new layer.

As a result, the object will be temporarily hidden, and only the background layer will be displayed on the screen. Using the Eraser tool, you can erase the remaining outline from it. To cope with this task faster, you need to increase the brush size (see above). Then the cursor, which has taken the form of a circle, needs to be moved over the place in the image where the object was, holding down the left mouse button until the background completely blackens.

Having completed removing traces of the contour, you need to:

• go to the “Layers” panel;
• turn on the layer with the object.

If everything is done correctly, the result is perfect.

Selecting an object: option two

As already mentioned, in order to learn how to cut out an object in Photoshop, we specifically chose the most primitive case with an image of an object on a smooth black background. But what to do if we are talking about a photo with a portrait of a person taken against the backdrop of a city or forest landscape? Let's look at how, in this case, you need to use Photoshop to remove the figure of a young man (see example below) and paste it onto another image. In order to successfully cope with such a task, those who want to learn how to cut and save an object in Photoshop should be patient.

For best results, use the Magnetic Lasso tool. To cut out a human figure with it, you need:

• zoom in to 100%;
• click on the outline of the selected shape so that the first marker appears;
• move the cursor along the silhouette line (new square markers will appear along the way).

If the image is unclear, the selection may not be correct. To correct this state of affairs, you can put markers yourself. To do this, click the left mouse button. Be careful when doing this, as otherwise the last marker will automatically connect to the first.

When the procedure is completed, the outline will turn into a moving dotted line.

How to delete a segment that is inside a selected path

Very often, especially when it comes to a human figure, the marked area of ​​the photo may contain areas with a background. For example, between a hand placed in a trouser pocket and the body.

This area needs to be removed from the selection. You'll have to use the same Magnetic Lasso tool. For this:

• hold down the Alt key;
• left-click on the silhouette of the foreign segment in the image;
• They highlight him in the same way as before the human figure.

Edge refinement

Surely everyone has seen photoshopped images or works on the Internet, the authors of which are popularly ironically called Photoshop geniuses. Most often they depict a person against the backdrop of a landmark that he dreams of seeing, or with a celebrity that he is unlikely to ever meet. As a rule, such photos are taken so clumsily that it is difficult not to notice the fake and believe that the image is.

To prevent your photo collages from becoming the butt of your friends' jokes, before cutting out an object in Photoshop CS6, you should master the technique of refining its edges. To do this, you need to select the appropriate tool and remove all extraneous fragments from the selection. To do this, check the “Smart Radius” item and increase its value, for example to 5 pixels. In addition, you should set the smoothing value. In a particular case, it is better to select it equal to 100% and complete the actions by clicking on the “Ok” button.

How to cut and paste an object in Photoshop

If you are completely satisfied with the selected silhouette, you can begin creating a photo collage from this and other images.

To achieve this goal it is necessary:

• right-click on the object;
• V context menu select “Cut to new layer”;
• go to the “Layers” panel;
• open a new image, which should become the basis of a photo collage, in Adobe Photoshop;
• in the “Layers” panel, move the cursor over the layer with the object that was selected;
• click the left mouse button and continue to hold it;
• drag this layer onto an open picture, which should become the basis of the collage.

How to make a cut out object smaller in Photoshop

Very often it turns out that a fragment moved from the original photo looks like an alien spot on the final image, for example, due to a size mismatch. If the figure is too large, you need to reduce it. To do this, select any tool belonging to the selection group and right-click on the silhouette. Then in the context menu you need to click on the “Free Transform” item. Then a frame with several markers will appear around the figure, with which you can rotate the object and also change its size. The easiest way to make a figure smaller is to use corner markers. However, you need to hold down the Shift key. Otherwise, the height to width proportions of the image will not be maintained. The same mode also helps to move the object. To perform this action, you need to place the cursor closer to its center, and then hold down the left mouse button and release it when the selected shape is in the desired place. At the end of all actions, a second left-click on the object is performed.

How to remove the background

In some cases it is better to do the opposite. Let's look at how to cut out an object without a background in Photoshop. In this case, it will not need to be moved. Instead, it will be enough to replace the background. To do this, perform the actions “Select” and “Inversion”. Then perform the “Editing” and “Cut” operations. As a result, the background is painted in the selected background color.

If you need to move an object to another location, you need to use the Move tool. However, you must first go to the “Layers” panel and second-click on the “Background” button.

Now you know how to reduce the size of a cut-out object in Photoshop, move it in the same photo, or paste it into another. We hope this helps you create beautiful photo collages.

By "complex" object we mean an object with complex edges that cannot be selected using the Lasso tool. There are a lot of ways to cut out complex objects, you can familiarize yourself with two other methods at this link: How to cut out a complex object in Photoshop using blending options and using color channels.

In this lesson I will show how you can select a complex object in Photoshop using a “Mask”.

Using this method, you can select and cut out, for example, a person from a photograph or another complex object. As an example, I took a photo of a running horse, which we will “cut out” from the background during the lesson.

1) let's go to Photoshop program, open the picture (photo) of the horse by selecting “File” - “Open” in the top menu;

2) in the "Layers" window, with standard Photoshop settings it is located in the lower right corner, you will see that a new layer has appeared with a thumbnail of the open image. This layer should be selected, as in the figure; if it is not selected, click on it once with the left mouse button.

4) after that, take a brush of any convenient shape, set its “opacity” and “pressure” to 100% and outline the horse. In this case, the color of the brush after clicking on “Quick Mask” will be black, thus outlining the object we will obtain its selection with a translucent red layer. If somewhere a brush gets into the margins, you can simply wipe it off with an eraser. Adjust (increase, decrease) the size of the brush to more accurately outline all the details of the object. Things like hair, translucent film, fly wings, etc. you need to outline with a brush with pressure settings of about 50%.

5) so, we have an object selected by the “Quick Mask”, this can be seen from the translucent red background, now right-click on the “Quick Mask” icon, as in step 3. After clicking, we will see that we have selected everything around the object, i.e. everything that we outlined with a brush remained unselected, but everything around it was highlighted - this can be seen in the picture dotted lines, covering the fields of the photo.

6) Now you need to select the object itself, you need to switch to selection mode, to do this, right-click on the “Selection” icon in the left menu at the top.

7) Now we move the cursor over our object, click right button mouse and in the menu that appears, select “Invert selected area” and get the selected object we need!

8) Now the object that we outlined in the "Quick Mask" mode is selected and we can drag it or cut it to another layer. In order to cut an object to a new layer, you need to move the cursor over the object as in step 7, right-click and select “Cut to a new layer” from the menu.

If you need to drag an object, then select the “Move” tool in the left menu, at the top, and while holding the left mouse button, take our selected object and drag it.

TIP: When selecting an object, you can use different kinds brushes For example, if you are drawing a mane (hair), then you should use a “soft” brush, and to outline the body - a “hard” one. In order to select a translucent object, for example the wings of a fly, you need to adjust the brush pressure (reduce the pressure).